As lunch approached, Eric Lewis and three co-workers at Moreno Valley City Hall stepped out for a bite.

But instead of getting into a car, they hopped on four bicycles for a short ride to the Towngate Shopping Center.

There was one more twist, aside from their mode of transportation. The bikes belong to the city.

In January, Moreno Valley began testing a bike-sharing program to encourage employees to drive less by instead riding a bicycle for short errands or lunch breaks.

“The use is growing as the weather improves,” said Lewis, the city’s traffic engineer.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s, one particular day was ideal for him and the other three to take a quick ride up Frederick Street to Jersey Mike’s, where they locked the bicycles outside and went in for sandwiches.

The city bought two electric bicycles but last week had borrowed two more from a local store to test different sizes of bikes.

The bicycles come equipped with batteries and, at 50 pounds, are twice the weight of a normal bike, Lewis said. The battery gives riders a little extra help when they need it to supplement their pedaling.

They have three settings: full boost, eco-boost or no boost. With the electric assist, the bikes can reach speeds of up to 28 mph.

“As you pedal, the bike actually helps you,” said Danny Astorga, a city construction inspector who joined Lewis for the ride. “That’s when you really notice the difference.”

Astorga has become one of the more avid devotees of the program. When weather permits, he has been using one of the bikes to commute to his home about 7 miles north of City Hall. During rush hour, the ride takes him only about five minutes longer than driving, he said.

Astorga said it has encouraged him to explore his neighborhood more and go out of his normal way instead of taking the same daily driving route.

“I’ll take a 10-mile ride to get home because it’s pretty fun,” Astorga said.

Employees taking part in the program must sign a waiver and wear a helmet. The city brought in a cycling instructor to teach a bike safety course.

The bikes each cost $2,500 and were part of $65,600 in grants from the Western Riverside Council of Governments and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee for projects to make the city more bicycle-friendly.

The city’s other projects include bike lanes that will be added on a 2-mile stretch of Ironwood Avenue, from Pigeon Pass Road to Perris Boulevard; 25 bicycle racks to be installed at businesses along Alessandro Boulevard; and flashing beacons at the crossing of the Juan Bautista Trail and Elsworth Street.

As part of the grant, the city agreed to try the program for six months. Lewis said officials hope to continue longer and expand after that.

Bicyclists keep track of each trip and log mileage so the city can gauge the program’s success and determine how many car trips are saved, Lewis said.

Tim Carroll, the city’s media and production supervisor, said he tries to use a bike once a week. Carroll, who drives a Toyota Prius, said he likes the program’s environmentally friendly goal.

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